WHAT YOU REALLY NEED

TO KNOW ABOUT
COLLEGE
TO MAKE THE MOST OF IT
AN EQUATION TO THINK ON

• ”Sleep more than you study, study more

than you party, and party as much as you
can.”
- One of the tutors who works for me
 • Sometimes college gets misrepresented – I think
you need the full picture of what it is today
• I am a school counselor by day, but by night I am
a college student finishing my masters at WVU

WHY THIS • And from 2013-2017, in undergrad at WV

Wesleyan
ASSEMBLY – AND
WHY ME? • So I’ve done:
• Big school & small school
• Nice dorms, bad dorms (and both types of
apartments)
• I’ve taught first-year seminar at WVU and
worked with college freshmen for two years
THE DIVISION OF LABOR

• How do you think your focus should be divided amongst these three areas, on average,
daily (out of 100 percent of your daily time)?
• Academics
• Social Life
• Sleep
THE DIVISION OF LABOR

Time

Academics
30%
40%
Sleep

30% Social
THE DIVISION OF LABOR

• ”If someone asks you to get a Shmuffin (at Sheetz) at 2 am, do it.” – Boyd Creasman,
former WV Wesleyan Interim President
• The biggest mistakes of college freshmen (in no particular order):
• 1. Too much sleep
• 2. Too much academics
• 3. Way too much social life
• So… we are going to look at these areas one by one.
ACADEMICS: OR THE STUFF BEHIND THE PIECE OF
PAPER
SYLLABI – THE BACKBONE OF THE COURSE

• Get them – read them

• AND MOST IMPORTANTLY – COPY THE SCHEDULE
• Supposed to be a binding contract, but can change
• Also contain the policies of the professor (late work, attendance, how to do your
assignments)
• The professor usually explains the syllabus – but if it’s in there, they don’t have to
ATTENDANCE – SHOULD YOU GO TO CLASS?

• Yes.
ATTENDANCE – SHOULD YOU GO TO CLASS?

• It’s an option, unlike in high school

• If you go to 90 percent of class and miss only 10 percent (MWF), that’s 4.5 classes or
$360 (4.5 classes x $80 per class, MWF classes)
• Some classes count attendance, some don’t - but that doesn’t mean it won’t hurt you to
miss (theatre story)
KNOW YOUR RESOURCES

• TUTORING – most colleges offer it for free* (*as a part of the university fees most
people pay) - and even 4.0 students go
• Bigger schools (and some small ones) have teaching assistants (TAs) that can offer
assistance (and grade papers) as well
SMALL ADDITIONAL ACADEMIC TIPS

1. Buy a planner and USE it (or use the calendar app on your phone)
2. Don’t do homework in bed
3. You can spend more overall time on social life, BUT… get the academics started/done
first
4. Most of the time you’ll use APA to cite (some English uses MLA, some History uses
Chicago, some medical/nursing uses AMA)
5. Invest in a very good alarm clock or trust your phone
SOCIAL LIFE – IT CAN BE MORE THAN THIS
THE COLLEGE FRIENDS

• You might not meet them right away – don’t give up

• Use the lobby of your dorm, if it has one, to your advantage – great meeting/hang out
spot
• Join clubs that fit your interests – gaming, religious life, Greek life, rec league sports, etc.,
and meet people with similar interests as you
• Go to interesting events – there are PLENTY in college
• Travel abroad if you can (get scholarships for it)
RESIDENCE LIFE – THE GREAT LOTTERY

• Being and having a roommate can be great or challenging

• Clean room vs. messy room
• Talk about your expectations early on – when you wake up/go to bed, cutoff time to have
friends over, etc.
• Don’t ”throw hands” over your issues – take it to the RA or higher if need be
THE POPULAR IMAGE OF COLLEGE
BEING RESPONSIBLE IN A PARTY ATMOSPHERE

• I’m not naïve – I know you’ll do it even if I tell you not to

• But – you should know how to do it safely
1. Go in groups with people you know and trust to stick with you
2. Download the Local/Campus/University Police app on your phone or have their phone
number saved (and keep your phone charged if you go out)
3. Keep your stuff with you. Don’t let it leave your sight, including food and drinks, even if it’s
just water
KNOW YOUR RESOURCES – IN THE PARTY ATMOSPHERE

• Title IX – hopefully you never need it, but it’s a very important resource on every
campus
• Counseling Center – you usually get at least several (and some places even unlimited)
free counseling sessions from college counseling centers – use it as a better coping skill
(after-hours hotline)
• RAs and Residence Life extremely helpful too
THE KEY TO COLLEGE SUCCESS IN FOUR WORDS

• H – Hungry
• A – Angry
• L – Lonely
• T – Tired
• Try to avoid being these things individually – the more of them and more intense with
them you are, the more anxious/unfocused/off-base you’ll be
• Brain doesn’t work well with these
• Snickers – you’re not you when you’re hungry clip
HUNGRY

• Many college students forget to eat out now that they aren’t at home anymore
• Many people skip breakfast daily – too early, too little time before 8 am classes
• The answer…
• Picture of the Hulk
ANGRY

• How many of you get mad easily? (Coke bottle)

• Professors, relationships, roommates, neighbors and more can shake you up
• You can’t focus when you’re angry
LONELY

• Don’t let academics consume you – balance is key

• Do something after you do academics to reward yourself
• Don’t stay in your room 24/7
• College can get lonely – but don’t give up. Sometimes the best people you’ll ever meet
are right around the corner
• Don’t even talk to me until I’ve had my coffee picture
TIRED

• The worst advice I ever got in college – “Don’t take naps”

• Naps are beautiful (just set an alarm when you take them)
• Don’t sleep the day away, either
• If at all possible, avoid the infamous ALL NIGHTER
QUESTIONS?

• Anything you want to know about college?